need help on scoring a play. Bases loaded, hard hit ball to shortstop. runner in third beats throw to home. Everyone safe. How is that scored. Is it a fielder's choice? Nobody out, so is it an infield hit? Thanks in advance
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As always, the answer is, "It depends." It depends on what else you saw on the play.
If there was any kind of misplay that contributed to the runner being safe, you should consider scoring an error. You don't mention that, but it's hard to understand how a hard hit ball can't be sent to home in time to get someone on a force play.
If the play was clean, your next inquiry is whether you think the batter-runner would have been safe if the play had been attempted on him at first, instead of on the runner heading home. If you think he would have been safe anyway, you can score a hit with an RBI. But that seems unlikely, given that you say the ball was hit hard and apparently fielded cleanly.
So I'm going to assume you mean the batter-runner could have been put out, but the SS opted to go home, and for whatever reason he failed to get the ball there in time. Batter reaches on FC (official AB but no hit credited, so it counts against his average), gets credit for an RBI, runner scores.
If the runner heading home was safe only because the ball was bobbled, or the throw pulled the catcher away from the plate or some such, then the batter is safe on an FC, runner scores on the E, no RBI is credited.
Again it's hard for me to understand how this could have happened as you describe without a bad throw or some such.
If there was any kind of misplay that contributed to the runner being safe, you should consider scoring an error. You don't mention that, but it's hard to understand how a hard hit ball can't be sent to home in time to get someone on a force play.
If the play was clean, your next inquiry is whether you think the batter-runner would have been safe if the play had been attempted on him at first, instead of on the runner heading home. If you think he would have been safe anyway, you can score a hit with an RBI. But that seems unlikely, given that you say the ball was hit hard and apparently fielded cleanly.
So I'm going to assume you mean the batter-runner could have been put out, but the SS opted to go home, and for whatever reason he failed to get the ball there in time. Batter reaches on FC (official AB but no hit credited, so it counts against his average), gets credit for an RBI, runner scores.
If the runner heading home was safe only because the ball was bobbled, or the throw pulled the catcher away from the plate or some such, then the batter is safe on an FC, runner scores on the E, no RBI is credited.
Again it's hard for me to understand how this could have happened as you describe without a bad throw or some such.
kid on third had big lead, running on contact. close play, umpire called safe